Lakers center Brook Lopez goes up for a shot against Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic during the first half of Wednesday’s game at Staples Center. Lopez finished with 27 points, including the decisive free throws with 0.6 seconds left, in a 108-107 victory. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton directs play against the Orlando Magic in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles Wednesday, March 7, 2018. The lakers won, 108-107. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 7: Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes up for a dunk during the game against the Orlando Magic at STAPLES Center on March 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Orlando Magic guard Aaron Gordon dunks against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Lakers guard Isaiah Thomas tries to maintain possession of the ball as Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic tries to poke it loose from behind during Wednesday’s game at Staples Center. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Orlando Magic’s Evan Fournier (10) passes the ball over Los Angeles Lakers, including center Brook Lopez (11), during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Orlando’s Aaron Gordon makes a reverse layup in front of the Lakers’ Brook Lopez, right, during Wednesday’s game at Staples Center. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Orlando Magic head coach Frank Vogel leads his team agaist the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles Wednesday, March 7, 2018. The lakers won, 108-107. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Orlando Magic forward Jonathon Simmons (17) loses the ball as he shoots as Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma (0) and guard Lonzo Ball (2) defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles Wednesday, March 7, 2018. The Lakers won 108-107. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Lakers coach Luke Walton signals to his team during Wednesday’s game against the Orlando Magic at Staples Center. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma (0) and center Brook Lopez (11) vie for a rebound with Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 7, 2018. The Lakers won 108-107. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Lakers guard Isaiah Thomas argues with Orlando’s Jonathon Simmons during Wednesday’s game at Staples Center. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Lakers center Brook Lopez goes up for a shot against Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic during the first half of Wednesday’s game at Staples Center. Lopez finished with 27 points, including the decisive free throws with 0.6 seconds left, in a 108-107 victory. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Lakers head coach Luke Walton and Orlando Magic head coach Frank Vogel, hidden in a crowd of Magic players, waiting for a ruling on the final play of the game on Wednesday night at Staples Center. The Lakers won, 108-107. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

LOS ANGELES — What began with a jump ball ended with one as well. Brook Lopez tapped the ball out into the backcourt and what remained of the final second of the game ticked off the clock and the Lakers survived.

Whether they had any idea why hardly mattered.

Did Lonzo Ball understand the call that led to the jump ball that allowed the Lakers to escape with a 108-107 victory?

“Not at all,” he said.

Kyle Kuzma?

“I have never really seen nothing like that before,” he said.

Everything up to that point was routine for the Lakers (29-35) of late. Just like Monday night against Portland, they built a double-digit lead in the final minutes only to lose it all. But unlike 48 hours earlier, this time it wasn’t the Lakers who were unable to get off a final play.

After Lopez sank a pair of free throws with six-tenths of a second left on the clock, Orlando guard Mario Hezona inbounded the ball from the sideline. He attempted to throw a lob to Aaron Gordon, who was sandwiched by Ball and Julius Randle. The buzzer sounded.

The buzzer sounded too soon.

Referees huddled. Lakers coach Luke Walton and Magic coach Frank Vogel leaned to listen in. And then Vogel erupted. He slammed his white board on the scorer’s table. The ruling made by the NBA’s replay center in Secaucus, N.J. was that there would be a jump ball at center court.

Chalk it all up to a little-known nugget from deep in the NBA’s rulebook, an easily missed chunk of text: rule 13E-9-2.

Lead referee Bill Spooner told a pool reporter that “the clock malfunctioned” before the ball was touched.

“Anytime there is either an inadvertent whistle and/or a horn when the ball is in the air,” Spooner said, “there’s no possession and we go to center circle. Jump ball.”

The Magic, who fell behind by nine on a 3-pointer by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 2:53 left, were deprived of their chance to steal a win on the road. Gordon called it “a terrible end to the game of basketball.”

“They have to change that rule and I think they will,” he said.

Even Walton was unfamiliar with the rule, saying he was initially upset that the play was being reviewed because the Lakers had stopped the play.

“Obviously,” Walton said, “when I heard the explanation Frank was a little bit more upset than I was. That’s a tough rule.”

The confusion – or controversy, depending on your perspective – added to what was already a dramatic ending.

After Caldwell-Pope’s 3-pointer, the Magic (20-45) outscored the Lakers 12-2 over the next two-plus minutes, a run punctuated when Gordon went the length of the court after a missed 3-pointer by Ball and laid it in. The Magic led 107-106 with five seconds left.

After a timeout, the Lakers inbounded to Lopez, who backed down Nikola Vucevic, drawing the foul when he spun toward the basket.

Lopez had spent the fourth quarter of the first matchup against the Magic with his head buried in a towel, his frustration boiling over. On Wednesday, his curly mop freshly shorn, Lopez was all smiles after Thomas sliced through the lane and found him for a 3-pointer with 5:17 left that gave the Lakers their largest lead of the night at 99-87.

He skipped to the bench and shook his head with delight. Five minutes later, he made the game-sealing free throws.

“It’s been a while (since I was in that situation),” Lopez said. “But I knew I was going to hit them.”

Lopez finished with 27 points, his most since he scored 34 points against his former team, the Brooklyn Nets, on Nov. 3.

“With the way that we play,” Walton said, “sometimes he doesn’t get the same opportunities as he has gotten before (in his career). But he did a really nice job tonight of establishing the block for us and getting down there and scoring in the paint.”

Making his third start at small forward since Brandon Ingram injured his groin, Kuzma scored 20 points to go with 10 rebounds. Julius Randle logged his 18th double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The Magic went up 32-17 with 1:17 left in the first quarter, but the Lakers went on a 16-3 run and eventually took the lead at 38-37 on a three-point play from Kuzma. They built a 56-51 lead by halftime.

In the third period, Ball got going.

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The rookie point guard scored 13 of his 16 points in the period, knocking down five of seven shots, including three of five 3-point attempts. He finished 6 for 16 from the field and 4 for 13 from 3-point range while adding six rebounds and five assists.

Walton credited Ball for making winning plays all over the court, but Ball passed the credit along to Lopez.

“He definitely saved us tonight,” Ball said. “Had two big clutch free throws for us. Don’t know what happened after that, but we got the win.”

Bill Oram covers the Los Angeles Lakers for the Southern California News Group. He covered the Utah Jazz for the Salt Lake Tribune. He is the (usually) bearded guy in the background wearing a University of Montana hat.

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